Najmeh al-Tahdiq - Star Gazing
by Mini Goat
Summary: THTJB – Jack talks Sam into a date but it doesn't go quite as he'd planned


**_AN:_**_ Jack is a good guy. A little lovelorn but a good guy_

**Najmeh al-Tahdiq - Star Gazing**

"So," he said, "interested?"

Sam looked at Jack from under her lashes. He'd run into her sitting in the Gate Room studying with some of the other grad students. Jack hadn't told her there was a pretty big selection of out of date textbooks on the back shelves that couldn't be sold back to the university but which were still useful for research. "I might be." She admitted.

"Come on Carter, you know you want to."

Sam wasn't quite sure when Jack had started calling her by her last name. It had been shortly after her dad had showed up with her bed. Almost like he was trying to distance himself for some reason. It didn't seem to be working. He was saying it like it was a pet name. He may as well just call her honey or sweetheart the way he said it. "It's a really nice telescope Jack." She admitted and she blushed just a little.

"Great. I'll leave you to your studying. See you at dusk Carter." He said grinning and strolled away, hands in pockets.

Sam blew her bangs out of her face and got back to work with a bemused look on her face.

* * *

"Come on T, she's a nice girl and her ex is a piece of crap. I don't want to hurt the guy. I just want to get some of her stuff back for her."

"I do not believe this is a good idea O'Neill." The large black man who ran the cleaning company that serviced the building among others had an apartment on the first floor where Jack was currently drinking a beer in a worn brown recliner.

"I bet Danny would help." Jack collogued.

"I do not think Daniel Jackson would intimidate an Air Force officer."

"That's why I need your help T. Look I'm a pretty decent sized guy but you're huge. Danny and I can grab Carter's stuff while you stand over him looking scary."

"Does Samantha know you are doing this?" Teal'c thought for a moment, "Why do you call Samantha by her last name?"

"George kind of warned me off."

Teal'c laughed. "O'Neill, what did you do?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you it wasn't even about me?"

"No."

"It's not."

"Are you certain?"

"Positive. George called me and told me Sam is his friend's daughter and she just got out of a bad relationship and her dad didn't want me to be the rebound guy." Jack was a little confused about why George had been laughing when he relayed the message.

"Are you going to abide by his wishes?"

"For now. Doesn't mean I can't flirt with her until she's not on the rebound anymore though, does it?"

"You are playing a dangerous game my brother." Teal'c told him.

"Yah. But have you seen her T? She's incredible. She's brilliant too. I can barely follow her."

"I find that difficult to believe." Teal'c said agreeably. He was one of the few people who knew exactly how smart Jack actually was. "Samantha is beautiful, and very kind as well."

"Yah. She's probably one of the nicest people I've ever met." Jack admitted.

"My friend, you have it bad."

"I know. T, if she throws me over after a few rolls in the hay, I'm going to be a wreck so I'm actually taking George's advice and taking things really slow with her."

"You are occasionally visited by flashes of brilliance. "

"So you'll help me?"

"You are only doing this to score points."

"That's a yes, isn't it?"

"You will supply a meal and beer at Samantha's after we bring her belongings home."

"Deal."

* * *

"This is nice." Sam told him. They were sitting on the park bench together under a blanket. Jack adjusted the scope while Sam sipped her coffee he'd brought her from Jaffa Java. She'd been a little disconcerted that he'd gotten her order exactly right after only one overheard order at the shop around the corner from their building.

"I figured you would like it. I don't get to show it off very much."

"Why not?"

"T is the only one who seems interested in astronomy around here except Cassie and she's a bit young to be touching my baby."

"Cassie?"

"Cute, light brown hair, beautiful hazel eyes…" He grinned at the furrow between her brows. "And nine."

"She's a nine. So you're saying I have competition." She said thoughtfully.

"No. She's nine, as in years old." Jack's smile widened as he leaned towards Sam. "Is that jealousy Carter?" his voice was a low rumbling purr.

"Well, it's not like we're dating or anything." She said but her voice was soft and breathless.

"Would you like to be?" he asked as he glanced at her lips for a long moment then looked into her bright blue eyes that were dark with desire.

"Jack-" But she didn't get any further because without really knowing why she did, she'd leaned forward as she said his name and brushed her lips against his.

Jack was surprised for about half a second and then instinct took over and he pulled her against him as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. He felt her fingers dig into the back of his neck as she let out a soft moan into his mouth.

They finally needed air more then the crushing need to taste each other and parted slightly to look into each other's eyes. "That was…"

"Whoa."

"Yah. Sam, I, ah," her lips were soft and swollen and her eyes were bright. "God you're beautiful." Jack said with a sigh. "Look, I really, really want what's happening between us but you just went through a bad break up and I, Sam I don't want to be the rebound guy."

"What did dad say to you?" she demanded.

"What? Nothing." He said almost too fast to be believable. "It's just, aahg, everything I can think of sounds really corny. I'm sorry." He swiped his hand through his hair. "I just know how it is after a break-up and I don't want to be that person."

"Why not Jack? You're a good looking guy, you clearly find me attractive." She said smiling.

"Yes, well, of course I do Sam, it's just, I think this might be more than lust and if it is, I don't want to just be some throwaway thing you did before you meet the next guy."

She looked at him for a long time and then seemed to come to a decision. She grabbed her coffee and stood. "I should go." She told him.

Jack sighed. "Ok. Have a good night I guess." His brown eyes swirled with emotions Sam couldn't quite identify in the dim light but what she caught most was regret.

Sam walked over to the door and turned as she opened it, the light framing her. "Jack."

"Yah?"

"I think you might be right."

* * *

He sat there for a long time staring up at the stars and sent out a silent prayer to whoever might be listening that he hadn't just screwed up a good thing by being honest with her.

* * *

Sam looked out her apartment window staring at the same stars while she absently pet Schrödinger. Jonas had left her an emotional mess and an empty apartment devoid of even the comfort of furniture. She thought about what Jack had told her about his feelings and wondered what to do.

**_AN:_**_ Well __**THAT**__ didn't go the way I thought it would._


End file.
